Author's note: No... there will be no Asgard in this one, lol...
......................
BOOM!
The thunder broke over the house with a crash that actually made the windows rattle, and a flash of brilliant light, and a shriek of fear immediately followed it.
Jack's eyes were open immediately, and he was rolling off the couch, looking around for Jaffa that weren't there and grabbing for a gun he didn't have. An instant later there was another loud boom and another bright light, but Jack was awake now, and knew it for what it was. It wasn't an attack. He was on his feet and heading for the hall, untangling himself from the blankets that were around his legs before they tripped him up.
He almost ran over Sam as she came out of her bedroom, her own sound sleep broken by the same frightened cry as Jack's and wearing a slightly confused expression. She didn't know what was going on, really, but she knew what the source was. The guest room and Gina.
"What's-?"
"Gina."
Jack was quicker to wake up than Sam, but not by much. He opened the guest room door and flipped on the light, and saw Gina sitting upright in her bed; eyes wide open with fright and face pale. Obviously she didn't like thunderstorms. Or at least, didn't like being woken up by them. Jack could understand completely. She turned when the light went on.
"Jack!"
He was on the bed beside her in an instant, pulling her into his arms and reassuring her, and Sam was right behind him, taking the other side of the girl and pressing in close, both of them cuddling her.
"It's okay, honey." Sam cooed.
"I-I'm sorry... it scared me..." Gina felt a little stupid for waking them both up now that she realized what the noise had been, but she grabbed at Jack gratefully despite that. She was still pretty shaken up, after all, and he was close.
"Don't be sorry," Jack told her. "It was pretty loud. It even startled me."
"Me, too." Carter told her, running her fingers through the girl's silky hair to soothe her. She was actually shaking.
"It's just thunder, honey," Jack told her, gently. "It can't hurt you, you know?"
She nodded, burying her face against his chest. Jack looked over at Sam for instructions on what to do about this, but she just shrugged. She knew less about kids than he did, after all. He'd had a son. She'd only babysat her brother's kids a couple times, and Cassie once or twice. That hardly made her the expert. He gave her a look she couldn't decipher, and then he shrugged, too. Oh well, they'd hold her and reassure her. There wasn't much else he could think of to do.
They were like that for a very long time. The storm rolled over the house fairly quickly; thunder booming occasionally and lightening flashing, but the worst was soon over. Gina held close to Jack and Sam, though, but her shaking had subsided fairly quickly. Now it was just a matter of being comforted. Which they were doing as well as her mother could have. She relaxed, finally, and closed her eyes, and eventually she fell back to sleep still safely tucked against them. Jack looked at Sam, his eyes asking her what she wanted to do, now, and again she shrugged.
"You go back to sleep, Jack." She whispered. "I'll stay with her."
He wasn't all that certain he could get out from under Gina without waking her up, though, and he didn't want to do that. They'd had a hard enough time getting her to relax enough to sleep once, he wasn't sure they'd be able to do it again. Not without knocking her over the head with one of Sam's boring books and putting her out that way. Something Jack didn't really want to resort to.
"I'm pretty much stuck here, Sam..."
She smiled. He looked so cute with Gina like that. She wished she could take a picture. He caught the grin, of course, and raised an eyebrow questioningly.
"What's so funny?"
"Nothing."
He knew better, and Sam smiled again, and pulled the blanket up over the three of them. If he couldn't move, then they could all just stay there. It wasn't going to hurt anything for her not to sleep in her own bed, and it certainly wouldn't kill Jack to not sleep on the couch. Besides, she was comfortable and tired, and really, where else would she rather be?
Jack nodded when she drew the blanket up. He'd pretty much decided the same thing she had, and he didn't mind being where he was for the rest of the night. He shifted slightly, getting a bit more comfortable, and closed his eyes.
"Night, Jack..." Sam whispered.
"I love you." He said in reply.
She smiled, and closed her eyes as well. God, she loved it when he said mushy stuff like that, and for no reason than because he wanted her to know it. It was definitely the perfect thing to hear right before she fell back to sleep.
......................
BOOM!
The thunder broke over the house with a crash that actually made the windows rattle, and a flash of brilliant light, and a shriek of fear immediately followed it.
Jack's eyes were open immediately, and he was rolling off the couch, looking around for Jaffa that weren't there and grabbing for a gun he didn't have. An instant later there was another loud boom and another bright light, but Jack was awake now, and knew it for what it was. It wasn't an attack. He was on his feet and heading for the hall, untangling himself from the blankets that were around his legs before they tripped him up.
He almost ran over Sam as she came out of her bedroom, her own sound sleep broken by the same frightened cry as Jack's and wearing a slightly confused expression. She didn't know what was going on, really, but she knew what the source was. The guest room and Gina.
"What's-?"
"Gina."
Jack was quicker to wake up than Sam, but not by much. He opened the guest room door and flipped on the light, and saw Gina sitting upright in her bed; eyes wide open with fright and face pale. Obviously she didn't like thunderstorms. Or at least, didn't like being woken up by them. Jack could understand completely. She turned when the light went on.
"Jack!"
He was on the bed beside her in an instant, pulling her into his arms and reassuring her, and Sam was right behind him, taking the other side of the girl and pressing in close, both of them cuddling her.
"It's okay, honey." Sam cooed.
"I-I'm sorry... it scared me..." Gina felt a little stupid for waking them both up now that she realized what the noise had been, but she grabbed at Jack gratefully despite that. She was still pretty shaken up, after all, and he was close.
"Don't be sorry," Jack told her. "It was pretty loud. It even startled me."
"Me, too." Carter told her, running her fingers through the girl's silky hair to soothe her. She was actually shaking.
"It's just thunder, honey," Jack told her, gently. "It can't hurt you, you know?"
She nodded, burying her face against his chest. Jack looked over at Sam for instructions on what to do about this, but she just shrugged. She knew less about kids than he did, after all. He'd had a son. She'd only babysat her brother's kids a couple times, and Cassie once or twice. That hardly made her the expert. He gave her a look she couldn't decipher, and then he shrugged, too. Oh well, they'd hold her and reassure her. There wasn't much else he could think of to do.
They were like that for a very long time. The storm rolled over the house fairly quickly; thunder booming occasionally and lightening flashing, but the worst was soon over. Gina held close to Jack and Sam, though, but her shaking had subsided fairly quickly. Now it was just a matter of being comforted. Which they were doing as well as her mother could have. She relaxed, finally, and closed her eyes, and eventually she fell back to sleep still safely tucked against them. Jack looked at Sam, his eyes asking her what she wanted to do, now, and again she shrugged.
"You go back to sleep, Jack." She whispered. "I'll stay with her."
He wasn't all that certain he could get out from under Gina without waking her up, though, and he didn't want to do that. They'd had a hard enough time getting her to relax enough to sleep once, he wasn't sure they'd be able to do it again. Not without knocking her over the head with one of Sam's boring books and putting her out that way. Something Jack didn't really want to resort to.
"I'm pretty much stuck here, Sam..."
She smiled. He looked so cute with Gina like that. She wished she could take a picture. He caught the grin, of course, and raised an eyebrow questioningly.
"What's so funny?"
"Nothing."
He knew better, and Sam smiled again, and pulled the blanket up over the three of them. If he couldn't move, then they could all just stay there. It wasn't going to hurt anything for her not to sleep in her own bed, and it certainly wouldn't kill Jack to not sleep on the couch. Besides, she was comfortable and tired, and really, where else would she rather be?
Jack nodded when she drew the blanket up. He'd pretty much decided the same thing she had, and he didn't mind being where he was for the rest of the night. He shifted slightly, getting a bit more comfortable, and closed his eyes.
"Night, Jack..." Sam whispered.
"I love you." He said in reply.
She smiled, and closed her eyes as well. God, she loved it when he said mushy stuff like that, and for no reason than because he wanted her to know it. It was definitely the perfect thing to hear right before she fell back to sleep.